SYS Blog

Fragile Tangible Heritage

Our family heritage items are not all about financially valuable family heirlooms that will grow in value. Our heritage is also about the photographs and documents that help us to feel a close personal connection with the past. We feel more when we see a letter written between our great-grandparents than we do when we look at an old piece of furniture that they once owned. We feel closer to our own parents when we look at our old family photos than we do when we wear the expensive gifts they gave us for a birthday or wedding.

Although the value of these fragile mementos might not be apparent to anyone else, to the members of our own families they are priceless, irreplaceable treasures. We might be able to protect ourselves against the losses of items that only have material value, but if we lose our old photos, diaries, and other memorabilia, they will be gone for good, and no financial compensation from our insurance company will be able to repay us for their loss. We might not be able to protect our precious family documents and photographs against every eventuality, but storing documents properly can give them a much better chance of survival during an emergency such as an earthquake or flood. We can also do a lot to prevent photos and documents being damaged by everyday threats such as light, dust and moisture.

Storing papers properly can help us to keep them in the best possible condition, for as long as we can. This will ensure that the memories and information they contain will continue to be available for us to enjoy as the years pass, and that they will still be there to link us to future generations of our family. Learn the tips and “how-to” take care of them with a free 205 page book you can download. http://www.collectioncaretips.com